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Category: Books

Hard Rain – Barry Eisler (John Rain # 2)

Hard Rain – Barry Eisler – Book 9 for 2015

It’s been a while since I visited Japan and the world of assassin John Rain. In fact it’s been so long that I have forgotten most of what happened in Rain Fall, Book 1 of the Barry Eisler series, when I started Hard Rain Book 2 in the series. What I didn’t forget was that the half-American, half Japanese Rain was a killer and a good one. What he is particularly good at is making his hits look like the victim died of  “natural causes” I also remembered that he has rules, no children, no one else is involved except rain and his client, and the victim has to be a principal, someone of importance! Read More

New Releases for March 2015

New Releases from Four of My Favorite Authors

Ok so now I have to put my reading into high-gear! Why you ask? Well after briefly reading The Big Thrill on-line magazine I discovered that there will be new releases from four of my favorite authors in March,.Here’s a little about those new releases….. Read More

February Reading Update with Some Music, too!

Cross-Posted from Book-Ed

As the month comes to an end it’s time for a reading recap and update. Yesterday I finished reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried which is the fourth book I’ve finished in February. Previously I finished The Promise of a Pencil, Throne of Glass and Revelation Space. The Things They Carried had been on my TBR pile so it counts toward my goal on the TBR Pile Challenge and since it is about the Vietnam War it counts toward the 2015 Historical Fiction Challenge. Here is a current update on my Reading Challenges….. Read More

The Music and Reading Hour……

Music and Books Perfect Together

The other day I decided to get a little more organized in both my reading and music listening, I decided what I will  do is to try to set aside an hour a day to read and listen to music together. The music genres that I prefer to listen to if I am reading are: new age, jazz, classical or progressive rock.I figured I will create a 60 minute playlists containing a few tracks from several artists, that I am unfamiliar with,  in whatever genre I pick. My first music and reading hour was last Friday and the genre that I chose was jazz. To start, I reviewed the JazzWeek Charts and found five artists that I was unfamiliar with, which was not hard at all.  Then I went to Spotify, to create the playlist. Read More

A Trip to the Library…..no books, except maybe an Alex Kava…..

So I had to take books back to the library yesterday. both mine and my daughter Elizabeth’s. On the way I said to myself…”.You are not getting any books out of they library, you are already reading four or five books!” My response was fine, “well, how about if I only get out a book if I find something by somebody whose work I really love. like say Alex Kava!” I said this thinking I was safe because I know that Alex Kava’s books usually come out in the summer!! Read More

February Reads – 1995 – Bill Pronzini and more!

Novels from Bill Pronzini, Frank McConnell and Vince Kohler….

Tonight I started thinking about books that I’ve read, and decided to look at my Goodreads Bookshelf to see what books I finished in February of 1995, 20 years ago,yeah right!  On February 04, 1995, I finished Liar’s Poker:A Harry Garnish Mystery from Frank McConnell, the 21st I finished Vince Kohler’s  Banjo Boy and on the 25th, I finished Shackles a Nameless Detective Mystery by Bill Pronzini. Of the three Shackles was my probably my favorite. While I don’t remember all of the details I do remember that it was a great read! In fact the book was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Novel (It lost to Thomas Harris; Silence of the Lambs, tough competition! Read More

Revelation Space – Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds  – Revelation Space (Book 7 of 2015)

So as I was coming to the end of Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space when I thought to myself; which character am I rooting for?? I image that it’s supposed to be Dan Sylveste, who throughout the book has been obsessed with the Amarantin civilization. A civilization that was destroyed 900,000 years ago! Sylveste has spent a lifetime on Resurgam trying to uncover what happened to the Amarantin civilization. From what he has uncovered it appeared that The Event that destroyed their civilization occurred shortly after the civilization had achieved space flight! Read More